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Original poster

Getting rid of one thing a day decluttering challenge: Part 3: Are we nearly there yet?

976 replies

StealthNinjaMum · 09/05/2018 08:45

For 2000 posts a group of messy mumsnetters have been chucking out, selling, recycling and cooking weird cakes.

Are we free of clutter yet? Sadly not.

Thankfully we're here to get support and be told off when we have a relapse and bring more clutter into the house, garages, sheds, gardens.

Newbies are welcome to join us, it's easy we literally just get rid of one thing a day and report back.

Previous thread here

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Thread gallery
13
DesertIslandPenguin · 26/05/2018 11:57

@SandAndSea How annoying! I hate waiting in for buyers, even worse when they don't turn up.

I have decluttered a rusty cake tin (need to replace it, though), five pots of food colouring gel that went out of date years ago 🙈, a bottle of pomegranate sauce (another old timer!), several bits of paper from school, and a big black plastic tub that can't be recycled. Oh, and some magazines!

Going to have a go at the larder this afternoon, I think.

GreyCloudsToday · 26/05/2018 19:10

Wow, well done StealthNinjaMum! That's a fab haul prepared and so cool to get a piece of furniture gone.

IHateYourCarpet how bizarre Confused, did they let you buy the knives in the end? I'd have been raging!

fancypantscar sounds like changing the curtains has made a fab difference

I got 5 items out to the post office today! But then also bought 3 huge bags of reusable nappies from a lady on FB that will need sorting and some selling now.

NaMajesty · 26/05/2018 21:07

Focused on cleaning the house and a bit of gardening today. Got a new dining table delivered so kids don't have to eat on the sofa and I don't have to wipe food off it daily. So one big item in and not much out recently. I will get to 200 before the month is up though!

Stupid nosey neighbour had a 15 minute long rant at me about how I need to potty train DS. He is 1.5 years old and doesn't have the common sense to NOT dive head first into walls, let alone tell me when he's pissing his pants. so that won't be happening Hmm and I will not have a potty in the corner of each room Envy straight to the toilet as soon as he can tell me when he needs to go. Why is it always the childless people with the most parenting advice?!

fancypantscar · 26/05/2018 21:59

Well a day of football, dog walking and school duties along with dinner out so didn't manage to get anything much done. Hoping to go to the avant showhome we want to buy tomorrow, I'm hopelessly excited even though it's nearly a year til they release the plot. To celebrate I'm going to finish painting the woodwork in the lounge once the kids are asleep tomorrow night, Monday I'll finish the kitchen.

@NaMajesty people like that make me Angry But on the other hand we were all perfect parents before the kids came along Wink I put my two on the toilet rather than the potty, bit tricky at first but they soon got the hang of it and haven't looked back.

MrsMozart · 27/05/2018 08:49

A car load of Stuff! to DD's house.

It might be sort of cheating, but my house not care as it breathes a sigh of relief Grin

Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 27/05/2018 10:20

@SandandSea I hope buyer number three turned up in the end.

Namajesty ignore neighbour. It's odd how some people have such strong opinions about things like potty training where you're really best just doing it when the child is ready. I agree potties are disgusting but we still used them, I didn't think to go straight to a toilet.

So yesterday was nowhere near as productive as Friday. Dd2 was getting dressed and she commented that her socks were too small and put them back in the drawer. I whipped them out when she wasn't looking (they're her 'favourite' rabbit socks so would scream if she knew they were going) and put them in the charity shop pile.

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SandAndSea · 27/05/2018 11:12

@StealthNinjaMum - Thanks, but sadly, she left me waiting again this morning! This is all after insisting she wouldn't let me down, blaa blaa blaa. I've messaged and called but no answer. I just don't get it. Why are buyers so bloomin' flakey?

NaMajesty · 27/05/2018 16:00

Stealth - with my 1st I waited until he could actually tell me that he was needing to wee before I bothered to take the nappy off. Once he told me that he felt like he needed to wee the nappy was off and we didn't leave the house for 3 days while he got the hang of 'holding on' for a couple minutes each time (just enough to be able to undress and climb on/and gradually a tiny bit longer to mimic us being outside and having to find a toilet). He was 2 years 7 months and toilet trained within 72 hours. Dry at night just after his 3rd birthday. I think I know what I'm doing by now, which is why the nosey neighbour annoyed me so much Grin although it's the same woman who told me that letting a baby sleep in a Moses basket while swaddled makes them develop claustrophobia Hmm madness Confused

GreyCloudsToday · 27/05/2018 21:49

Argh SandandSea how annoying!

NaMa your neighbour sounds, erm, eccentric....!

I got rid of an old barbecue and a whole bag of stuff on Freecycle, yay. Listed a ton more on eBay / Gumtree / Freecycle. I see the end of the decluttering pile in sight Star

Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 27/05/2018 23:48

My one item today is an unidentifiable object that I think was probably a present from mil many years ago. It's like a soft purple glasses case with an open end but I don't wear glasses and never have.

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NaMajesty · 28/05/2018 00:55

After missing my spring clean due to having the flu, I finally managed to completely gut out the entire downstairs. Everywhere is gleaming. All doors/walls/skirts/radiators etc washed down plus the weekly deep clean done on top of that. Moved the living room furniture around (I'm terrible for this!). Tomorrow I will focus upstairs and find the remaining items to throw/charity to make it to 200. Got a bin bags worth of toddler clothing to eBay as well so that's gonna take a while! Will be worth it in the end. Wink

SandAndSea · 28/05/2018 01:54

Today's items are an ineffective cat brush, 2 instruction leaflets and a set of finger measurers.

IHateYourCarpet · 28/05/2018 08:46

I've gained 43 things Blush

They're all gifts. And I feel awful saying it, but there's just nowhere for them to live. I've got christening photo frames, six silver cars, two Henry ride along hoovers ... I haven't got a decent photo to even put in one frame! DS decided to piss all over both of us while we standing next to the vicar while he was talking Grin

And that's without the books my mum wants to give me - a suitcase full!

I'll be needing you lot to coach me through getting rid of what I need to. Getting rid of presents and sentimental things is feeling really difficult at the moment. But I know the clutter will bother me, and I'd rather all the lovely things we've been bought went to someone who absolutely loves them. I'll be catching up for some inspiration. I'm going to try to start today by taking back a couple of too small outfits DS has been bought and exchange them for some winter bits he's going to need.

SandAndSea · 28/05/2018 09:54

Wow, Carpet, that's a lot of extra things! Hope it all went well for you in the end.

I've heard from the 'kept me hanging around' buyer again. She's remarkably resilient (unaware?). She's now saying she wants to come tonight. Not a single apology for messing me around either. I'm not going to reply. I'd rather give it away.

Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 28/05/2018 09:57

Namajesty you cleaned the the downstairs and then did your "weekly deep clean". Gasp. What's a weekly deep clean? Am looking around at my house wondering if I should be doing this.

carpet it has taken me ages to get rid of presents and some of them I was given over 10 years ago. Will any of the givers ever notice they're not there? What helped me was to realise there's no difference between giving something away now and giving it away in ten years other than it cluttering my house for all that time.

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Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 28/05/2018 09:58

SandandSea that's annoying. I have in the past given things away free because I got fed up with someone messing me around.

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Chimichangaz · 28/05/2018 10:12

Not posted since the old thread, but had very weird dreams last night where I decluttered hundreds of things so I guess I'm back! I did declutter a virtually empty bottle of perfume yesterday - found it really hard as it had cost me a lot of money but was just an empty bottle in the end.

As an aside, I also dreamed about Donald Trump dangling from a helicopter, and a previous neighbour emigrating to Philadelphia. Copious amounts of beer at a festival yesterday do that to you Confused

NaMajesty · 28/05/2018 11:41

Carpet glad you had a nice day Smile you don't have to get rid of everything right now, take your time to sort through it all find what you actually will be using from the hoard.

Stealth weekly deep clean includes hoovering under any movable furniture (fridge/sofa/tv unit etc), washing sofa covers, cleaning windows, cleaning the carpets upstairs, hoovering upstairs, washing DC toys in the washing machine, wiping down shelves/bedside tables/tops of units and cleaning the bathroom including tiles/bath. Basically just doing a once over to keep it from getting too out of hand. It's just the jobs that need doing regularly but not daily.

Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 28/05/2018 16:58

Today I found an old cardboard box that had had a paddling pool in it. I think I got rid of that paddling pool about four years ago! I wasn't even looking for it, it was in a carrier bag hanging on the back of a bathroom door. Amazing I live with this clutter.

NaMajesty that list makes me feel really lazy!

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NaMajesty · 28/05/2018 17:28

Stealth not lazy, I'm just OTTBlush when you clean to this level regularly you can't just suddenly stop and do the bare minimum. The house would feel different to me and I'd be able to tell that it wasn't properly clean even though to everyone else it would look spotless.

IHateToCashew · 28/05/2018 19:13

Nama - honestly? There's nothing we'll probably keep. He doesn't need more money boxes, photo frames and toys. I think I'll distribute the toys amongst grandparents houses, and then probably charity/return/sell the remainder. DH is seeing it as an open rejection of his family. But it's not that, it's just that my lot listened when I said no presents please! I begged to not receive more stuff.

It can't stay. It's just too much stuff. He's already got one of the four by four kallax units full of toys. He doesn't need more. The funds raised can be put towards useful stuff for his bedroom, or in his bank account.

Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 28/05/2018 19:13

Just need to rant. After three days of dh and dc home I am going MAD! Dh has taken a week off work to catch up on admin play games and my house is once again a tip. I feel like no matter what I do I am fighting a losing battle. Where I'm sitting I can see 7 pairs of discarded shoes, just sitting in random parts of the hall carpet, none of them are mine. They are six feet maximum from the cupboard where shoes belong.

Today we played in the garden and it took lots of force to get dh to leave his computer. We had a lovely time but the dcs garden toys which have a box for them to go in and lots of bags where I organise them are just in bits everywhere. and the girls made necklaces in front of the TV yesterday so that area is full of bits of string and bead. I am considering putting the whole lot in the bin. Every time they go out they bring bits of leaves/ twigs/ garden in I have to hoover. And today I asked dd1 to scrape her dinner into the bin (she is 10 so this shouldn't be hard) and she got it all over the bin, the bench next to it, the wall, the floor, dd2s schoolbag. So I probably overreacted, yelled at them and now dh has taken them upstairs to get them ready for bed to avoid big bad mummy.

If I have the energy I am just going to chuck out the garden toys or drink any alcohol I haven't decluttered.

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GreyCloudsToday · 28/05/2018 19:54

That's a lot of stuff Carpet, I'd definitely be doing the same as you. It is a shame but I just don't do those "gift" things either.

Sounds like a long day Stealth . With all the servicing of people on eBay Gumtree free cycle etc. I definitely feel more resentful about the housework, so you're not alone!

3 more items gone today, 2 tomorrow Smile

SandAndSea · 28/05/2018 20:01

Oh dear, Stealth. Hope you can enjoy a nice break this evening. Flowers

I have another CD to add to the pile which is nothing compared to DP who, rather surprisingly, seems to have caught the clutter clearing bug all of a sudden! He's just been through his clothes and has decided to throw out:

5 shirts
4 t-shirts
2 jumpers
1 pair of tracksuit bottoms

Most of these are items I tried, unsuccessfully, to get him to part with just a few, short, weeks ago. (I'm trying really hard not to do the 'I told you so' dance.)

IHateYourCarpet · 28/05/2018 20:49

Stealth Wine I totally get it. It makes you want to declutter the family and go live in your own, doesn't it? Feels like a losing battle all the time!